On the day her dad is buried, the woman who calls herself Winnie celebrates by setting out on the strangest road trip of her life. Her traveling companion is an enormous man-child whom she calls Tongue. Their vehicle: the beat-up limousine left to her by a dying man seeking forgiveness. Too little, too late. Searching for her lost mother and the son whom she believes was taken from her at birth, Winnie must confront her buried past, while battling addiction, heartache and demons. In order to tell her story, she must first find a way to understand it. A motley mix of East Coast wanderers may provide her with just that--the signs, clues and language she needs in order to reinvent her life's tale. Besides, she has Tongue with her at the wheel, the magical, overgrown free-spirit who sings arias to cows in a field, picks up flowers and hitchhikers and discovers an innate ability for lobster fishing. The big man's insatiable appetite for food and wonder helps reveal that which is beyond her painful memories: a road map of the imagination and a re-imagined life. By the time they reach the healing waters of Atlantic Canada, Winnie is finally able to give voice to the suffering that has plagued her, but the story she tells is quite different from the one that she had expected.

Nic Labriola is the author of the narrative poetry collection, Naming the Mannequins (Insomniac Press, 2009), the story collection, Francis and the Animals (Leaping Lion Books, 2013), and the novel, Winnie's Tongue (Insomniac Press, 2015). His work is concerned with the absurd and often grotesque aspects of life and how humour and storytelling help us to survive. He teaches literature and writing at Seneca College. He lives in Toronto with his darling wife, Samantha, and their beautiful daughter, Lucy for as long as the city will allow.

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